The Baroness and the real Caltagirone

In Book #2 of the Vespers Trilogy, Malice Stalks the Leopard, one of the major characters is The Baroness, an old love of Ferdinand de Lerida.  She is presented in the book as the widow of the Count of Caltagirone.  Naturally, she's a fictitious person who was fun to write, but the real family who ruled this region was powerful and always part of the king's counsel.  The city is also one of the oldest in Sicily, dating back to before 1000 B.C.


Today, Caltagirone is known for its ceramics, the beauty of which date back to Arab times in Sicily - 9th and 10th century - because the Arabs brought the greens, blues and yellows to the industry.  They also brought a sophistication to the ceramics with geometric designs and graceful  depictions of animals and plants.  This is typical of Sicilian ceramics today and what this area is famous for.


And of course, the name itself is said to be of Moorish derivation - the name Caltagirone means Castle or Fortress of Vases.

Oh yes, Corleone

Oh, I forgot to mention that book #3 of the Vespers Trilogy has Ysabella and Company (or some of them) settling into Leo's estate, La Serenita, outside of Corleone, where there is a medieval convent called Santa Maria del Bosco - really.  And I'm going to see it.  Most people think I picked Corleone because of The Godfather (which I did love, but no, that's not exactly why).  Corleone was a mountain town within a day's journey from Palermo so that when our family was fleeing the siege of Palermo, they could make it that far.  Also, I had to pick a place where the hated Angevins weren't, and the mountains of Sicily, known for bandits, etc. (most of whom were relatives) was perfect.  I was also secretly hoping, of course, that people would remember the name from the famous movie, but truly, folks, Corleone was a medieval town in its own right.  It just had to wait for Martin Scorsese to make it a household word.

Malice Stalks the Leopard

And of course, the Vespers Trilogy continues in Book #2 - Malice Stalks the Leopard, when our tavern owners again become embroiled in a political secret affecting Palermo, Sicily, and a Mediterranean dynasty.